Adelaide Hills Council’s legal fees spike by $100,000 as it pays for lawyer to sit beside mayor

An Adelaide Hills council’s legal fees have risen by $100,000 compared with last year, as it pays for an experienced lawyer to advise the mayor during meetings.

Adelaide Hills Council’s legal fees have spiked by $100,000 this financial year as a highly-paid lawyer sits beside the mayor during meetings, instead of a salaried staffer.

The council’s legal fees are expected to reach more than a quarter of a million dollars by June 30, documents show.

A question on notice by Councillor Louise Pascale says the council had spent $169,841 on legal fees by February this year, compared with $63,141 last year.

The rise in legal fees began in November last year and hit a high in January “stemming from events in late 2023”.

Council CEO Greg Georgopoulos, appointed in May on a $290,000 salary, said the increase in legal fees was a result of “unexpected events, often of a confidential nature, that require legal advice”.

The highest amount of legal fees has been spent within governance and performance – $92,792 to April, a team that manages risk, insurance, and governance matters.

Ms Pascale wrote to council “seeking clarity” amid final stages of budget planning for 2024/25. AHC is proposing an average rate rise of 5.78 per cent.

Adelaide Hills councillor Louise Pascale. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

“It started when I was seeing simple governance questions being sent to lawyers – and then I started to see lawyers sitting in on our council meetings and at another meeting, and I was wondering, how much are we paying per hour for this?” Ms Pascale said.

“In the meantime, I’ve got community members crying for our footpaths to be finished or put into areas that haven’t been touched.

“I’m looking at our budget for next year, and I’m wondering, is that going to happen?”

Mr Georgopoulos confirmed the council pays for a lawyer to sit beside the mayor or acting mayor during meetings to provide advice. Many councils have a salaried officer for that role.

He said the “new arrangement” was charged at an hourly rate and capped at $875 a meeting.

Experienced lawyer and council specialist Michael Kelledy sat in on the April meeting, council minutes show.

Mr Georgopoulos said the role was not previously filled by a council staffer and was “a temporary arrangement to address current staff vacancy and operational needs”.

Ms Pascale said legal fees had tripled for the people and culture/work health and safety over the past 12 months.

Documents show the council is on track to spend just under $270,000 in legal fees this financial year.

Council staff said any year-on-year comparison needed to consider there been a “large recovery” of legal costs – $34,000 – in the preceding year, which had reduced the “apparent spend” in 2022/23.

“Council will put in place a number of measures to reduce unexpected events requiring legal advice, including by undertaking training and development, risk management, and policy review,” Mr Georgopoulos said.